


Dreamless Slumber

by BehindBlueSky



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, but i shall do it next time, its so hard not writing rivaere/ereri smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-23
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2017-12-30 06:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1015405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindBlueSky/pseuds/BehindBlueSky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Is there some dirt in my face, Eren?” he asked seriously. His face was paler than usual and now his eyes were sunken and reddish. When Eren suddenly realizes that Levi-heichou might be tired and need a rest, he thinks in the best manner to let him at easy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dreamless Slumber

Two males sat in the opposite sides of the table. Lance Corporal Levi, humanity’s strongest soldier, and Eren Jaeger, his subordinate. Levi, who sat sideways in the chair, stared at no spot in particular in the wall and Eren looked nervously at his own hands. They were alone in the room and yet there was no conversation, neither sides trying to initiate it though. 

The younger male, Eren, discreetly directed his gaze to Levi. As was usual, the other man had a scowl on his face. But the most intriguing fact that Eren noticed was that the other male rarely blinked — always looking at the same spot as if there was something truly interesting there, which there wasn't. Levi just kept staring at _nothing_.

Eren had to admit that it was amazing how he could stay focused in any kind of situation, especially when they had been waiting for so long in that room. His eyes traced another path, this time looking at every detail that he never got tired of seeing. The line of his jaw, his furrowed eyebrows, the fine line of his nose. Those eyes that intimidated anyone, and which were the same eyes that inspired respect.

That man had such perfect face proportions that Eren took his time wandering in the small details. Levi’s fierce glare…Eren found himself wondering what kind of world that Levi saw with those eyes.

The man was so skinny and small. Yet it was amazing that he was so strong; the strongest of all, as they say. Though, there were only a few who knew his true nature and Eren was one of those. Levi was a clean freak and he could be kind of hard to deal with sometimes. Yet again, Eren was one of the few who knew it. And it was exactly because he knew the man that it was hard to believe that Levi, the person who beat the hell out of him in front of everyone in the courtroom, was the same person who would spend hours cleaning a place to his comfort.

“Is there some dirt in my face, Eren?”

Levi’s clear and deep voice immediately made him snap out of his reverie and as fast, surprise and fear clicked in Eren’s turquoise eyes. Levi was staring directly at him with his inquiring eyes. It wouldn't be a problem if there were actually some dirt in Levi’s face, but there wasn't any.

_Shit. Not good_.

He had been staring at Levi for too long. And while he might not be exactly bright smart, Eren was pretty sure that he’d leave a bad impression for being caught staring _intensely_ at his superior.

“N-Not exactly, sir.”  

The other man arched his eyebrow in curiosity. “Not exactly? What the hell does that mean…gross.”

“Anyway, stare at me like that again and you’re as good as dead, Eren.”

Case closed. Eren immediately avoided looking at him – and once again the room was silent. The conversation ended as quickly as it had begun, which was actually a record. Truth to be told, the situation was pretty awkward. They were locked in the room for approximately fifty minutes already, and waiting for that long had made Rivaille’s patience ran out.

“I’ll be quick, my ass!” said Corporal Levi in an irritated tone, finally looking away from the same spot he had been looking at for almost half an hour. “How long more does Erwin will make me wait? This shitty room is making me fucking irritated — I can smell dust in here!”

Eren gave a short laugh at his superior. He had seen it coming; Levi would start complaining about the long wait that supposedly wasn't to take more than ten minutes _and_ about dust and other dirty things he could find.

“Corporal, you sure have a bad mouth,” the boy pointed out, remembering the first time they were alone in a room like this. Eren wasn't in the best mood, but Levi kept blabbering and later Eren asked himself if that was an attempt to lighter his mood or if Levi was just tired of waiting as he’s now. Either way, he had a bad mouth. Well, he wasn't one to talk, though. “And your bad habit of speaking is back again, sir.”

Eren was glad that the silence between them was finally over. He had tried thinking about a topic to initiate a conversation with his heichou, but he feared that something not intelligent enough would come out from his mouth. Though he had been under the supervision of Corporal Levi for some time now, and he managed to find out almost all of the man's antics, he still had difficult dealing with the fact that he was up close to the person he looked up to. And the other man's personality didn't help one bit either. 

“Ha, and you’re saucy today, Eren!” Levi scoffed, taking a look at the walls, the table and the floor. “I can tell…you didn’t do a good job in cleaning this place, it’s not _even_ nearly good.”

He sighed and rubbed the bride of his nose. “I’d kick you and then make you redo the whole thing, while I waited outside, if Erwin didn't damn strictly said to wait here…” he gave a pause, sighing again as he looked through his eyelashes to Eren, “I knew I should've done this myself.”

Eren looked at his superior from the corner of his eye and apologized quietly. He knew that the strongest soldier could also be extremely annoying when it matters to cleaning places _and_ waiting unnecessarily. That much he had discovered after a few days in that old castle the Scouting Legion used as a HQ and for training. At first, Eren thought that given to Levi’s unapproachable nature, he would never have an opportunity to know more about him. Not taking into consideration the harsh discipline he had to endure, rather, the beatings he received every day, Levi was actually quite a nice person to talk to. Sometimes, Eren even wondered if the small man was trying to be funny or not.

His stare on Levi lasted longer than he wished, but thanks to that Eren was able to notice small changes in his superior. Levi's face was paler than usual, and his eyes, once intimidating and even tired, perhaps, were now sunken and reddish. It was as though he didn’t get much sleep. Eren, then, remembered something that was bothering him ever since last week — when suddenly he transformed in titan after a nightmare. Levi had been constantly watching him during his sleep since then. 

He cleared his throat, drawing Levi’s attention to him. “Heichou, I noticed you didn’t sleep long enough last night because you were…watching me in my sleep in case I went berserk out of sudden.”

Levi looked with fixed eyes at Eren with his usual scowl expression. Eren gulped slowly. Sure enough, that man never failed to intimidate him.

“ _And_?” Levi asked tonelessly, never leaving his gaze from Eren's.

Moving his fingers restlessly, nervously, under the table, Eren responded:

“I-I just thought you could…maybe take a nap?” he suggested, unconsciously showing no confidence in suggesting that to the other man. Levi surely knew his body the best and didn't have to be told about his condition by another person, especially not by the one he had been watching for, and there he was pointing it out. “Meanwhile I’d be cleaning the room again, sir.”

Eren directed his eyes at Levi just to make sure he wasn’t going to be killed the next second, but the other man seemed to be contemplating his suggestion.   

Levi reflected about the risks of going according to Eren’s plans, but it didn’t seem bad. Not bad at all, in fact. He was feeling a bit tired, and though he didn’t want to admit it out loud, he could fail to do his job properly in the right time if he didn’t sleep at least a bit. And as a bonus, Eren would redo his cleaning in the room. It was like killing two birds with one stone. Making up his mind, he nodded slowly his head and looked straight at Eren’s eyes. He should just this once listen to the brat.

“Alright,” he finally said, getting up from his chair and walking to the sofa, which was in the back wall of the room. “Waiting for Erwin tired me out anyway. That bastards, they sure can make me lose my patience.”

For the entire way, Eren looked at his superior’s movements. As to how stiff his wide shoulders were and how could that small man give large steps while walking. It sure was contradictory. He hoped that Levi didn’t notice his hunger eyes at him.

“Don’t forget to clean better this time, I’d hate to spend my sweet nap in a dirty place. Also, clean that corner over there, on top of that closet, that fucking spider web is creeping me out.” Eren smiled tenderly, making sure that Levi didn't see it. “I won’t be able to sleep this way.”

“Yes, sir!"

“Hm.” Levi nodded. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see a small smile playing at Eren’s lips, but he decided to let it pass this time. Just this time, he told himself. “Remember not to make a noise while I’m taking a nap or you'll wish to never have been born, and wake me up when they come back. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Eren saluted with a fist on his chest.

Levi lay on the sofa and closed his eyes, not before saying, “Well, that's all. Now go clean this place, brat.”

Eren remained in the same spot for a moment, staring at the prone figure of his superior.

Perhaps he'd done the right. He couldn't stand looking at Levi anymore, knowing that he barely slept _because of him_. Levi-heichou could act as if he could handle things if he ever went berserk again, but in truth, and Eren knew, that the small man was always on guard if it would come to happen. He was always watching every single one of his movements. Although it somehow made him relieved, that Levi would definitely be capable of bringing him down, he wondered if one day that man would look at him with trustful eyes — if he ever would…trust him.

Not that Eren would blame him. He knew he wasn't trustful enough. He would just transform into a titan all of sudden just like the other day when he was having lunch, for unknown reasons, and when he had a nightmare nights before. He was dangerous. He was threatening Levi's very existence, so it was expected that the corporal would be on edge about him. And though he didn't doubt Levi's ability, deep in his heart, Eren was worried about himself.

Would Corporal really kill him just like the other titans? Mercilessly slitting his neck meat? Cleaning his blades drenched in his human-titan blood with a disgusted look?

Even if he would, Levi would only be doing his job as a member of the Scouting Legion. But even so, would they trust him as an equal some day? Would they trust him as a fellow human, which was what he was actually? He never actually thought about his before; Mikasa, Armin and the rest of the 104th Trainees Squad never had to think of him in any other way than human. The Scouting Legion, however, had this knowledge that he could transform himself into a titan when he joined and thus it made difficult to him to build bonds with them.

Eren wanted to stand at their side as comrades. He wanted to fight alongside people he trusted and that they trusted him back. His instructor back in his trainees days once said that team cooperation was primary, essential, and he came to understood its meaning after his outburst when the Colossal Titan managed to broken wall Rose's gate. That day he had lost so many people who trusted him and shared the same wish as him — to join the Scouting Legion and be useful to humanity’s fight against titans. He wasn't idiot and not even would repeat the same mistake, things will be different this time but for that he _needed_ trust. Above all, he wanted for _that man_ to trust in him.

Absentmindedly of his cleaning, Eren's eyes were drawn to the shorter man sleeping on the sofa. Without realizing, his feet drove his body to the sofa's direction and he stood there watching the sleeping face of his superior.

Levi wasn't sleeping in the correct way on the sofa. His left wrist was thrown over his face, partially hiding his closed grey eyes. His left leg instead of lying stretched-out it was folded up resting on the back of the sofa. But his face, usually wearing a mask of indifference as was also seen in his eyes, was now showing what his peaceful-sleep face was like. His lips were partially parted and some times Eren wondered if those lips would ever mutter words in his sleep. _God_ , his face was perfect.  

Eren directed his eyes at Levi's hands, which were lying gracefully on his face. Those hands, which were so used to and skilled in killing titans, were so pale and small that Eren found it difficult to imagine they were actually calloused. Even more difficult to imagine was that there were marks all over his small and pale body because of the many years using the 3D Maneuver Gear. And that face of his, usually producing a fearsome expression was also capable of doing such a peaceful expression. It made him wonder; what kind of dream could he been having to make such expression?

Somewhere within his body, Eren found himself unquiet. His _mind_ was unquiet. Thoughts racing wildly.

The boy bent down and sat on the floor. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips as he noticed any detail that seemed important in the face of the other man. He ever so slowly and carefully directed one of his hands to Levi's face.

Eren was curious. He wanted to know the texture of the corporal’s skin, though he imagined it to be smooth. However, it seemed like lady luck wasn't on his side.

The dark-haired boy heard a recognized noise of the room's door lock being unlocked. Immediately his blood ran cold. It had been approximately thirty minutes since Levi had fallen asleep, and exactly thirty minutes since Eren had fallen in thoughts. How come they had to come back just now? He had to think of something _and_ quickly. There was no time to go back to cleaning the room (not that he cleaned one bit though), so the only option left was to fake the situation. His hand immediately flew back to his lap and he spun around on his knees, facing the door with a mask of tranquility on his face.

Commander Erwin, along with some of the Scouting Legion, entered the room still discussing things, until the Commander himself noticed Eren staring expectantly at them.

“Eren, sorry for making you wait!” he said searching for something in the room. Once he didn't found it, the blond man turned his gaze to Eren again. “Where's Levi?”

A faint shade of pink grew on Eren's cheeks but it passed unnoticed by everyone in the room, except for Mikasa that Eren failed to notice the presence. Her dark eyes narrowed at the sight, for she had rarely seen such sight — if not for ever before. Eren hadn’t smiled much ever since he witnessed his mother being eaten by a titan, much less blush. But every time Eren was around Levi-heichou, Mikasa noticed that the boy changed. He _smiled_ and glanced over the man like he _never_ did to her or Armin — it was different.

“Corporal Levi is resting, sir,” was his response.

Eren didn't have to say much more. After that everyone's attention was drawn to the small man sleeping heavily on the sofa. No one dared to make a noise nor did they ask any more questions. However, Mikasa wasn't like everyone else. Now she understood everything.

“What were you doing so close to Corporal Levi, Eren?” she asked in the best of intentions.

Everyone and including Eren froze in their places. It had crossed their minds that Eren was closer to Corporal than he was supposed to be. Some of them even directed their hands at their weapons in a defense stance if Eren revealed to be a threat.

Eren didn't miss their behavior, but his gaze never left of Mikasa's face as he responded, “I- I was just cleaning some dirt on Corporal's face. He asked me to clean every dirt on the room so...”

Although it seemed like a very bad excuse, they had to admit that Levi would ask for that. Reluctantly they lowered their hands and decided to drop off the topic. Sighing, Eren took that as a chance.

“Commander, Levi-heichou is tired because he has been watching over me the past nights…” he explained in a pleading tone, hoping that they would listen to him. “If only he'd sleep for just a bit more!”

Erwin looked at Levi and his mind seemed to be deeply reflecting about the matter. The blond man knew Levi very well to know that he was very diligent and discipline for him was essential. In other words, though he had asked to be the one responsible for Eren, he wouldn't have known that the boy would be so much of a trouble when he was sleeping. Erwin had even heard stories that Eren would often scream in his sleep, waking those in the rooms above, and thus Levi would have to look what was wrong. It must have been exhausting if the same happened night after night.

“That's right,” he began, nodding affirmatively. “Eren is right. Levi needs to rest a bit. We've unconsciously relying too much on him, and we don't need our strongest man unfocused on his job, isn't that right?”

No one disagreed but deep in their minds they knew how it would affect their job later. They couldn't stay there for much longer than they already did, or they would have to call it a day and continue another day.

“I- I know how it'll put our lives in danger and that I'm being selfish,” Eren spoke their minds, unsure if he would convince the other of his reasoning. “But I'm asking for ten more minutes and then we'll get out of here.”

Some agreed and others didn’t, but the one to give the last word would be Commander Erwin. Eren bit his lip, in tension. It was up to Commander to let Levi rest for a bit more. Finally, the blond man gave Levi a stern glare and turned around.

“Ten more minutes, Eren.” Erwin said, and Eren felt his face brightening. “Levi, too, knows the risks we’re taking here. Very well, in the meantime we’ll be reorganizing our weapons and ration.”

He and the others Scouting Legion members left, expect for two other members. Mikasa, who had been watching quietly the whole time, narrowed her eyes and left the room with Armin right behind, who gave nervous looks at Eren.

Before leaving, however, she looked at Levi and then at Eren, saying, “Tch. Why that midget… It can’t be helped.”

As soon as he was left alone again with his superior, Eren relaxed his stance and let out a sigh he had no idea he was holding. He spun around on his knees, this time to face Levi and his sleeping figure, and the corners of his lips slowly lifted in a small smile. He slowly lowered his head toward the sofa and stood there, with his head lying two inches from the other man, looking at Corporal who was sleeping peacefully. 

Eren was not sure if it was his impression, but suddenly his eyelids seemed so heavy and his mind seemed to feel incredibly at rest. His eyes no longer seemed to respond to his commands and they wanted to close against his will. It seemed like a good idea actually, considering that, suddenly, his body didn't seem to want to leave that position. Even considering the heaviness of his shoulders and legs, he acknowledged he was pretty comfortable despite the lack of comfort in being on the floor. In fact, nothing else mattered as he was feeling incredibly sleepy. Eren let out a small yawn and fell asleep immediately, completely forgetting that he had to wake up the person in front of him in less than ten minutes.

It was not too long after and Levi’s right hand twitched over his head.

Lance Corporal Levi wasn't humanity's strongest man for nothing. Levi was extremely disciplined and so he knew he couldn't nap for too long, and also because something deep inside him was saying that he should wake up immediately. It was the best decision he’d have taken.

Having seen almost everything a person could or couldn't see, Levi thought that nothing else would surprise him, but he was totally wrong. His eyes fluttered and slowly opened, gradually adapting to the brightness of the room for a few seconds and focused on the pale ceiling. He felt the sleepiness hit him when he finally stirred to consciousness. Letting out a sigh of tiredness, he prepared to lift himself off the sofa but something stopped him. He realized he wasn't the only one on the sofa. He would guess what it was, rather, who was the impediment, but even so he wanted to be sure. His eyes traced an invisible route downward, to the thing that kept him to get on his feet and what he saw made them widen in surprise.  

Eren was sleeping soundly, his head lying _on_ his other hand.

A small smirk tugged at his lips and his eyes returned to their intimidating gaze as usual.

“...Eren?” asked Levi, but got no response in return. Quickly getting annoyed, he clicked his tongue and tried a second time, but again, he was greeted with no response. The boy slept heavily, which consequently caused the killing intent of a certain person to increase even more.

_This is why I hate kids_ , he said to himself in thought.

“Eren.” He repeated a third time, but when he received no answer yet, Levi resorted to pinching his arm, trying to awake the boy, but to no avail. Levi furrowed his eyebrows and sighed. It was no use; Eren was sleeping like a rock.

Levi looked at the youngster with the worst expression that someone would like to receive from the Corporal, and yet, however, Eren was oblivious of what the future held for him. The corporal was ready to call the boy again when Eren slightly opened his mouth and mumbled something in his sleep. Levi didn't hear him, which only made curiosity grew in him. What would have made that brat so happy during his sleep? Eren had muttered something, and soon after his expression had relaxed. Disgustingly enough, he noticed, Eren had even _smiled_ and _blushed_ , all the while still sleeping on his hand.

When Levi noticed that Eren seemed to want to say something again, he leaned slightly toward the boy, waiting to hear his next words.

“Cor…po…ral…”

Levi’s eyes widened at the moment and with a speed that even made he feel dizzy, he pulled away from Eren’s face. He quickly checked to see if the boy was awake and to his surprise he was, in fact, still sleeping. He frowned; it made no sense. He couldn't have heard him right even knowing deep inside that what he heard was probably what he was thinking about.

For a split second his expression softened. Just for a split second though, as suddenly he got uncomfortable and annoyed. The collar of his white shirt seemed so tight and it bothered him, making him loose a button.

_Why was so damn hot in that room?_

Even believing or not at the same time of what he had just heard, his questions were answered when Eren spoke again, and this time clear enough for him to hear right in a safe distance.

“…Levi…”

The said man widened his eyes again and clenched his jaw, his mouth forming a perfect straight line. _You damn brat, you're asking for it_ , it was what he thought before he smirked like a devil. In the next instant, Eren was on the floor, with his hands on his head to protect himself and watering eyes because of the pain caused by the kick he had just received. Levi, who had lifted himself off the sofa, looked at him with eyes that seemed to throw daggers.

“Oi, is there something I need to know, shitty brat?” he asked in such a tone of voice that Eren cursed himself for having fallen asleep in front of his superior. “I suggest you start talking about all I need to know in 30 seconds, counting from now.”

Although he was feeling very embarrassed and ashamed at the same time, Eren could speak that the Scouting Legion had returned and that commander Erwin had given him 10 more minutes of rest, and that by then the ten minutes were probably almost over. When he finished speaking, and looked directly into Levi’s face, Eren was sure that this time he would receive one hell of an exceptional punishment.

“Is that all you have to say?” Levi asked Eren after straightening his clothing and adjusting his gear. “It looks like I haven't disciplined you enough.”

Somehow, he managed to look down on Eren even though he was shorter. And though his stomach hurt like hell because of the kick he had received earlier, what hurt the most were Levi’s grey eyes piercing through him — judging him, looking down on him.

“You sure are bold, aren’t you! Didn't I fucking say to wake me up when they come back?” he stepped on the boy's back, not holding back. He sighed after some time, finally realizing he was unnecessarily losing his patience, and went back to check his equipment. “…Forget it. At least I could get some sleep.”  

Eren looked at the floor in embarrassment and waited for his orders.

“Let's go,” he announced picking up all of his equipment. “Get on your damn feet before I change my mind. And you _wouldn't_ want that, right Eren?” 

Eren promptly nodded affirmatively. However, given how unquiet his body and mind was at the time, Eren wanted to know more about Corporal Levi. He had missed the chance when he fell asleep. He was so close to touch Levi’s skin – feel his softness under his calloused fingertips, and perhaps, if lucky was on his side, he could even try and stole a peck on his lips. Regardless of his wishes, he hurried himself before Levi decided to kick him again. And surely he didn't want to see what it'd be like when Levi-heichou changed his mind about something, because he was pretty sure it wouldn't be a pleasure thing.

The boy missed the sight of a tiny red color growing on Levi's cheek. The other male had been trying to thanks him for suggesting that he should sleep for a bit, but he failed miserably. How could he thank an insolent brat? Damn the etiquette! He wouldn't do that. _Ever_. Besides, it was all that damn brat’s fault for keeping him awake at night. It had been days since he had to start sleeping with him in the basement as a measurement that the boy wouldn't go rampage. Night after night, Eren screamed in his sleep and it had been quite a pain in the ass to do the same route from his room to the basement, until he reached to the conclusion that it’d be better to the stay with until things calmed down.

…it had been five days since then and it didn’t seem like Eren’s nightmares were any closer to end.

As they left the room together, closing the door behind, Levi allowed himself to take a look discreetly at Eren. He didn't know why but he felt like his cheeks were burning.

_It must be because for once this brat actually gave a good suggestion_ , he pondered.

However, Levi wasn't embarrassed for only being helped by Eren. It was the fact that he kept remembering the boy’s feature while he was sleeping and how sweet his voice sounded when he spoke his name in his sleep. Sure, Eren had called him by ‘Corporal’ but he also had called him by his name. _His name alone_. Levi didn't know what there was of extraordinary in that, considering that Erwin and Hanji also called him by his name, but the way Eren said it was different. His name left the boy’s mouth as if he were savoring the best honey.  

He also couldn't forget the fact that the audacious brat had dared to use his hand as a pillow. As he remembered about that, he lifted his hand, the one Eren hand used as a pillow, and looked at it with a disgusted look. Though, he didn't do any attempt to clean it of whatever germs it could possibly have caught with Eren’s touch. In fact, the more he thought about it, the less disgusting he found it — no, it wasn't disgusting in the slightest; it was _comforting_ , it was _warm_ , even though it was still dirty. 

Leaving aside his contradictory feelings, Levi clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“I must be out of my mind.” He muttered under his breath, casting a last glance at the boy before walking faster.

Hadn’t Eren been busy enough, holding his injured stomach, he would’ve seen a tiny pink color across Levi’s cheeks. 

**Author's Note:**

> I should be the one to redo the whole thing. Sigh. 
> 
> At first I was going to write something more...explicit, but somehow it went down to the fluffiness road and there it is. I might or not write a pre sequel about Levi spending the nights with Eren in the basement because of the boy's nightmares and I might or not write a sequel, which would definitely, go down the mature road.


End file.
